along with the vice president joe biden, who will hold his own fire side chat on google plus this afternoon to talk about the president's sweeping and ambitious gun control plan, then in a matter of hours, the pent gaunt is set to make a ground breaking change. leon panetta will shatter the so-called brass ceiling and lift the ban on women serving on the front lines of combat. >> the most hard-bitten combat veterans knew this was inevitable, but the announcement yesterday sent shock waves through the military and pentagon. >> bottom line, it has to be done. it we want to be there, we should be there. if we choose to serve and have the physical capability to do so, we should be there. >> as we speak, happening right now, john kerry is on the hill for what is expected to be smooth sailing. the confirmation hearing of secretary of state. he began with a spirited defense of the woman he will be replacing and then he got emotional. >> i would take office as secretary, proud that the senate is in my blood, but equally proud that so, too, is the foreign service. my father's work under presidents b